Calling all LLBean Katahdin Iron Works Boots owners - Page 71

My advice? Obenauf/treat before any significant wearing. Wear only serves to darken up the leather from oils and foreign contaminants, and once your apply treatment overtop it darkens the already dark/burnished boot even more.

i was wondering if anyone knew if it is possible to make a boot like this shiny at all? or even a little shiny? i wanted to order the version that j crew sells but they dont sell it in my size. i like the shine (among other things) better than the ll bean version. thanks!

imgur com/a/Nsa7J

How much would you pay max for these? Want to see them at a 'steal' price. Recommendations?

Has anyone else had an issue with one or both of the boots cutting into the outer side of their leg, leaving a ridge after wear and causing numbness in their foot? I'm hoping this will go away with more break in and I've been working the collar with my hands trying to loosen it up. 

 

This only happened with the right boot and oddly enough not until about a week of wear.

imgur.com/a/Nsa7J

Depending on how desperate you want them and how much you are willing to invest to have them refurbished.
Max $10.

Shoegoo, there is a picture here somewhere of a guy who polished his toe cap. It is possible.

how did these get to be so shiny? are these a different style of leather than the ones currently being sold, or did you just make em all pretty like that? i am debating buying them, but this picture makes me want them. right now.

I can make mine pretty shiny with a buffing.

They got really shiny with snoseal. Now that I applied obenauf's lp, I don't think they buff up quite as shiny.

I can get my Chip's slightly shiny simply by just brushing. Buffing it with a lint free cloth works well. But [personally they look bad all shined up. Ultimately the Katahdin's are built on a working boot last and thus chunkier than, say, a 1000 Mile.

Here's a $10 gift card to LL Bean that I'll never use:

2000054691211857924
PIN: 4387

Having owned these for ~8 months now I decided to go for a round of Obenauf's LP. If I knew it was going to be so much fun, I'd have done it sooner! These boots are seriously great. Holding up pretty well too. I'd like to get a decade out of them.

Before:

After:

debating between these (179) (won't get them til spring anyway) and the chippewa GQ (can get for 109 with 20% off Amazon), and it basically comes down to a ~$60 price difference for getting the non-captoe vs cap toe... and I'm still torn! thoughts?

There's more to it than cap toe vs plain toe. The Apache Lacer (GQ) has a full 360* leather welt. The Katahdin boot has a plastic and leather 270* welt. The GQ has a Vibram Stockbridge Gumlite sole, which is lighter and grippier than the cork sole, IMO. The differences aren't going to make or break you if it's just a casual wear boot, but the GQ is better built as a work or outdoor boot. The same boot comes in a steel toe, 8" height and three different lugged soles as well.

just had a horror story with mine:

 

after owning them for about 3 weeks, wore them out last night (first significant snow)....

 

...came home after work today, both heels came undone (from the inner part of the heel closer to the toe) and started splitting towards the back end.

 

went to llbean, they were all shocked, took them back right away, and are shipping me a new pair, but looks like i'll be without them for a week or so.

 

put on my keen's to go to the store, almost cried.  the guy in the shoe dept didn't know what to say, he seemed surprised too.

 

anyways, the first 3 days, i felt like some runway chick in them because i wasn't used to that heel style, but after about a week or so, they were the best feeling/looking shoes i had up until this point.

 

hope it doesn't happen to anyone else.

How long did it take you guys to break in? And how long did you wear it on a days average? Are you guys wearing thick socks as well? Or just regular white socks...